


Burning Bodies Before Dinner

by SillyBlue



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Getting Together, Human Castiel, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 23:46:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3430004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SillyBlue/pseuds/SillyBlue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dean finds an excuse to visit Cas in Rexford he is mistaken for the ex-boyfriend trying to win him back.<br/>Well, if Dean’s being entirely honest with himself they’re not entirely wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burning Bodies Before Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something short about Dean pretending to be Cas' boyfriend and while this didn't quite turn out as expected I still like it. It's light-hearted~

For weeks Dean kept his eyes open for anything remotely strange happening in Rexford. He tried to be casual about it but Sam eventually noticed his unusual attention to that town. It was Kevin however who thought to point it out, clearly going against the Winchester’s code of not talking about it.

“Come on, Dean… Just go check on him if you have to. You’re getting on our nerves,” he groused, attention focused on the book he was reading, as if Dean’s concerns weren’t even worth the effort of lifting his head. And Sam was giving him one of his sympathetic, wide eyed looks.

“If it were that easy, don’t you think I would have done it already?” Dean grumbled, slightly embarrassed. But truth to be told, Dean was oddly relieved that he no longer had to carry the burden of his worries around on his own anymore. Having had to leave Cas behind again had hurt far more than Dean cared to admit. The guilt was… well, Dean was used to it he supposed, but it still sucked. He hadn’t told Sam anything beyond the basics of the case, keeping his worry for Cas under wraps in case Sam’s secret roommate would disapprove of any lingering connections. Somehow, he worried even now. Since Kevin was around there was no room for complaints however and maybe Dean should consider himself lucky. Still, he couldn’t visit Cas just for the sake of visiting Cas.

“Well,” Sam started with a huff, then he lifted his ipad. “I might have something for you.”

* * *

It was pretty much déja-vu, just with more confusion on Dean’s part. Castiel was again very shocked when Dean suddenly appeared before him, giving him a wide eyed stare that Dean would usually find rather comical. Their meeting didn’t take place at the Gas-N-Sip but at a cozy little café, snuggly tugged into a lazy side street.

“Uh, your boss told me you work here when you’re not at the gas station,” Dean stuttered an explanation, looking down at Castiel’s clothes and most notably the little frilly apron. “Uh…”

“Do you want a cup of coffee or tea?” Cas asked instead of answering and that at least put them on a sort of safe terrain for a moment.

“Sure, yeah!” Dean rushed to answer and let himself be guided to a small table in the back under a huge lampshade Dean almost hit his head on. Cas shoved a menu into his hands, made of thick parchment and written in what Dean knew to be Castiel’s own handwriting. As soon as Dean’s eyes were on the menu Cas left to attend to an old lady sitting by the window.

Dean was flabbergasted but recovered quickly. Maybe it was odd for Cas to be working in a tea room, but it wasn’t like it was any worse than the gas station. By the time Cas returned, his expression more collected and a lot friendlier, Dean had reviewed the potential case again, reading off Sam’s ipad.

“Why are you here, Dean?” Castiel asked, standing next to him and peering down at the screen. “A case? There is no case.” Dean grinned up at him and pointed at the menu.

“First of all I’m here for a cup of coffee,” he said. Cas seemed torn but in the end he left to get Dean’s order. It took almost no time for the coffee to appear in front of Dean and Castiel leant against the table after he had made sure that he wasn’t needed at the moment.

“I’ve been looking at the news. There is nothing going on here,” Castiel told him, frowning and there was a challenge in his expression.  The “why are you really here?” hovered between them, unasked, unanswered.

“Sam found something and I thought it was worth looking into it,” Dean said and showed him the printout. “Three deaths happened in the Pearlman Hotel in the last twenty years.” At this Castiel lifted his eyebrows in surprise and took the print out Dean handed him. “Could have been a coincidence. No regular pattern to the deaths, no obvious connection between the victims.”

“Then why do you think this is a case?” Cas asked. “The last death was 8 years ago.”

“Because apparently there were always strange things happening before anyone died. Flickering lights, sudden temperature drops, objects being moved. And now it’s started again,” Dean explained and Castiel nodded gravely.

“You think someone is going to die,” he observed and judged by his expression Castiel was on board with this being a case worth investigating.

“Who is going to die?” Cas gave a start and turned around to a woman standing behind him. Dean only saw part of her, but like Cas she was wearing an apron so maybe she was his boss. When it became apparent that Cas would take too long to come up with a not 100 percent obvious lie, Dean took mercy on him.

“Hopefully no one. I’m taking… Steve here out on a movie later and I’ve got a bad feeling about it,” Dean said with an easy smile, glad to remember Cas’ fake name, leaning around Cas to lift his hand in a greeting. The woman lifted an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Hi, I’m Dean,” he greeted, reaching out to shake her hand. The woman squinted at him curiously, studying him.

“I’m Sofia,” the woman told him, then she looked up at Castiel. “Is this the Dean Nora told me about? Your boyfriend, Dean?” Dean widened his eyes in surprise, speechless for a moment.

“Dean is not my boyfriend,” Castiel replied, a rough edge to his voice that put Dean on the defensive immediately. Maybe they weren’t boyfriends, but there was no reason to be so grouchy about the assumption.

“Ex-boyfriend, I get it,” Sofia said, patting Castiel’s cheek.

“Well I’m here and I’m clearly trying to get back into his good graces,” Dean said for the hell of it and Cas clearly didn’t appreciate the lie. Dean grinned at him. Castiel looked at him darkly.

“Good for you,” Sofia told him earnestly, then she turned her attention back to Cas. “Sweetie, we’ve got an order for a dozen cupcakes and muffins, do you think you could put them in boxes and hand them to Dave when he comes to pick them up? He should be here in around five minutes.”

“Of course,” Castiel said with a smile and with a nod to Dean he left. Sofia caught Dean looking at the surprisingly well fitting gray slacks he wore. She raised her eyebrow at him, obviously waiting for something and Dean decided to go for it. They had a case after all, he might as well make good use of the misunderstanding about him and Cas.

“Hey, I was looking for a hotel for me and Steve. Something,” Dean winced internally “ _romantic_ …” Sofia’s eyes sparkled with delight and Dean wondered why she was so eager for him to win Cas back. “I’ve seen some reviews about this place, the uh… Pearlman Hotel?”

“Ah yes. I know the place. Lovely, especially for couples,” she agreed and pulled out the chair to sit down opposite Dean.

“But… I’ve also read some negative reviews…” Dean looked down at the papers, pretending to read off them. “Flickering lights, the temperature suddenly dropping and other stuff.” Sofia laughed at that and Dean lifted his eyebrow.

“That’s kind of an urban legend around here,” she said, “that the Pearlman Hotel is haunted.”

“Really? I always like a good ghost story!” Sofia rolled her eyes fondly.

“There isn’t really anything to tell. Some people died at the hotel and everyone likes to make accidents seem more dramatic. Rumors change all the time. When I was younger they said that Pearlman’s would be son-in-law who died on the premise comes after other happy couples.” Dean took note of this, remembering to check out if there was some truth to this tale. “You should drink your coffee before it gets cold, Mr. ex-boyfriend,” Sofia reminded him before she left the table to disappear into the kitchen. Dean decided he liked her and some other part of Dean decided he liked the idea of winning Castiel back too.

* * *

Castiel refused to book a room at the Pearlman hotel.

“Come on, I’ll pay,” Dean urged him but that didn’t win him over. “This is a case, Cas! Someone in the hotel is going to die if we don’t do something about it.” That at least got him a weary sigh. Cas turned towards him, a frown on his face.

“I thought you’d said that I should live my life as a human? That I should stay away from the supernatural?” That made Dean’s stomach churn uncomfortably and he looked down at his shoes. “It’s what I’ve been trying to do, Dean.”

“Yes, I know…,” Dean started, unsure how he should go on. He couldn’t just tell him that he’d been desperate for anything odd going on just so that he had an excuse to visit him. Maybe, he thinks now, he only made this even more complicated. When Dean finally looked at Castiel again, his expression was soft, no longer that disappointed frown Dean had hated to see.

“I’ll come with you, but I’ve been trying to make my living here, so don’t do anything that would jeopardize it,” he told him. Grateful, Dean grinned and followed him to the Impala.

* * *

The Pearlman Hotel was rather impressive. The lobby was all polished floors and glittering chandeliers. There were two people sitting in leather armchairs and reading in front of the big windows. Dean whistled. Castiel stood just inside the hall, apprehension written all over his face.

“Cas, come on!” he hissed and that got Castiel’s immediate attention. He gave him a wide eyed look that conveyed irritation and then he pointed to the left side of his chest. Right, invisible name tag. _Steve_. Dean rolled his eyes and went to the counter where a cheerful lady in uniform was waiting for them.

“Hey, I’ve called you earlier about a reservation? Winchester,” he told her. She nodded and checked her computer before she grabbed a keycard from under the desk.

“Here is your key card. You’ll find all additional information about the place in the welcome brochure in your room! If you have any questions just call reception and we’ll be happy to help. Please enjoy your stay,” she said, loud enough for Castiel, who was now lurking around somewhere behind Dean, to hear. Dean winked at her, earning himself a small blush, then he put his hand to Castiel’s back.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s check out the place!” Castiel didn’t actually resist so Dean counted that as a win, relishing in it more than he probably should. So what if he liked calling Cas sweetheart? Nobody would know but him. Pretending to be a couple had its perks.

* * *

Castiel had seemed pleased by the room and had instantly claimed the bathroom for an after work shower and bath (“one to get clean, Dean! And the other to relax.”). Dean knew that Castiel probably didn’t have the money to afford a nice bathroom. He actually hadn’t asked him about his housing arrangements yet and maybe it was best not to.

While Cas was in the bath Dean called Sam who had checked the info Dean had given him, before he turned to his own research. It seemed to be true that a certain Eric Mann had died under suspicious circumstances. Mann hadn’t been a pleasant fellow, a petty wanna-be gangster who had set his eyes on the Pearlman Hotel. It was assumed that Pearlman had Mann killed after he hurt his daughter. Sam had dug out some police report that documented that Bess Pearlman had sustained injuries when attacked by her fiancé. That at least gave them an idea about who they were dealing with, but not why his killing pattern was so irregular or why he had chosen the victims. Dean didn’t feel like being surprised by a ghost, so he had made sure to put salt lines around the doors and windows even though he almost felt bad to make a mess in such a spotless room.

Dean was testing out the bed when the door opened and Castiel came out, wearing only a white and pink striped bathrobe with the Pearlman Hotel logo on the chest. Dean looked at his legs and the bit of chest he could see and the pink cheeks and pleased smile.

“That was pleasant,” Castiel told him and sat down on the bed next to him to look at Dean’s notes on the case.

“Uh. Yes,” Dean muttered but then he snapped out of it and filled Castiel in on the things he knew.

“I think we have to look into the background of the people he killed. If there’s no pattern to be found in the regularity of the killing, then there might be one in the people. Or he’s just extremely random.”

“Well, does it even matter? I can go out to torch his bones in no time,” Dean said and Castiel looked at him sharply before his eyes travelled to the big windows showing early evening with still enough sunlight to prevent a clandestine grave desecration outing. Dean rolled his eyes and handed Cas an ipad. “I’ll call the police department to ask about it and you’ll see what you can find.” Castiel didn’t seem to be all that comfortable with the ipad, but he didn’t complain and went about searching.

“We have this wonderful room and you just want to do research. All work and no play,” Dean complained when he pulled out his mobile phone, but he still smiled when he looked at Castiel lying in bed, with his robe and a look of concentration on his face while he tried to figure out the ipad.

* * *

Dean was eying the free champagne that came with their special couple offer that Dean had booked. The phone calls hadn’t really been helpful and Sam wasn’t forthcoming with ideas either. He really just wanted to go to the cemetery and burn this son of a bitch. But Cas wouldn’t let him so he busied himself with the welcome brochure.

“Hey, how about we go down to their spa and then get into the champagne and the mini bar? I like to do my grave digging only partially sober,” Dean said but when he turned to look at Castiel he found him in the process of letting the bathrobe drop. All of a sudden Dean was faced with lots of naked skin. From the beautiful curve of Castiel’s neck all down his shoulder blades, slim waist and amazing ass.

“Woah!” he said but didn’t make a move to cover his eyes when Castiel started walking around to get dressed.

“I’ve found the connection between the victims,” Castiel said.

“What? How?” Dean demanded to know, surprised that Castiel had actually been working and not just playing around with the ipad.

“Facebook?” Castiel offered and Dean stared at him. “I’ve asked Sofia who asked others and while my thesis is built on gossip I assume it is correct. All the victims had a partner who had had ulterior motives for getting married like Eric had. This would explain the irregularity. He only killed if a couple like this booked a room here.”

“So what, our guy Eric is angry that he didn’t get what he wanted and punishes others for it? But not going after the evil guy but the innocent one?” Dean summarized and Castiel nodded. “What exactly are you getting ready for?” he wanted to know what Castiel pulled on his sneakers.

“I thought we could burn a body before going out to dinner,” he suggested and Dean had to laugh.

“That’s my idea of a date, sweetheart,” Dean said, pulling on his jacket and not quite accidentally brushing his hand over Castiel’s lower back when they got into the elevator.

* * *

Castiel had blisters on his fingers when Dean dared to link their hands on top of the table. Since they had taken so long to get rid of the ghost and were dirty and sweaty, they had decided to enter the first diner they found. Castiel’s cheek had a scratch from where the ghost had shoved him into a tree before Dean had torched the bones and for some reason that and Cas’ light shivering had made him cross the distance. He had covered Castiel’s hand with his own and now their palms where resting together and it was… not weird.

“What a date, right?” Dean asked with a wink and Castiel smiled at him.

“I always enjoy spending time with you, though I feel I prefer eating a burger to getting tossed around by a ghost,” he contemplated.

“Well then! Let’s get back to our hotel room. We still have that champagne to drink.”

* * *

Dean felt both ridiculous and giddy. He and Cas had taken a 2 AM trip to the 24h spa which had helped him relax but also given him more opportunities to look at Castiel in a state of undress. And the more he allowed himself to look, the more the knowledge that he liked it settled comfortably within him.

It was almost 4 in the morning now and Castiel was holding his champagne close to his chest, occasionally sipping. He was wearing a t-shirt and pajama pants, his eyes drooping occasionally. Dean was sitting right beside him, comfortable on the wide and soft bed.

“So… will people still know me as Dean, Steve’s ex-boyfriend after today?” Dean asked and it was joking enough to still be safe. If Castiel didn’t get what Dean was actually asking or if he wanted to spare Dean’s feelings there would be an easy out. Dean was still slightly nervous when Castiel put his glass on the nightstand and then looked towards Dean.

“That depends,” he said and Dean widened his eyes in surprise.

“On what? On how good my “baby please take me back” sex performance is going to be?” he asked. Castiel didn’t react to that and continued looking at Dean, his eyes more awake than they had been a moment before.

“On why you really came here, Dean,” he said and the grin was wiped off Dean’s face. He looked at Castiel, then down at his empty glass. He could just lie – and both he and Cas would know that it was a lie – and be on his way. Nothing would change. Or he could tell him the truth. He settled on putting away the glass and turning on his side.

“I missed you and I wanted to see you,” he said seriously and Castiel nodded. “Driving away from you? That was hard. I know the distance between us is my fault and I couldn’t just waltz back into your life without good cause.”

“Wanting to see me would have been a good cause for me,” Castiel told him and Dean? Dean felt as light-hearted as he hadn’t for a long, long time. Was it going to be that easy? Dean was actually confused. Maybe he just was too tired for his brain to catch up.

While the bed was huge Castiel moved closer until Dean could wrap his arms around him. It felt… odd and wonderful and maybe he held on too tightly but Cas wasn’t complaining.

“So?”

“I’ll sleep now,” Castiel told him and Dean had to laugh.

* * *

When Dean woke up he felt more rested and more at ease than he had for a long time. He sleepily blinked down at the dark hair that tickled his chin. Cas was still curled towards him, like he was seeking comfort and warmth. Dean lifted an arm and put it around Castiel, pulling him a bit closer. Cas grunted in protest but then he pressed his nose against Dean’s collarbone and wrapped his arms around him.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Dean said and rubbed his thumb over the warm shoulder. Castiel’s reply was muffled and soon followed by a pleased sigh.

“This is nice,” Dean heard him say and yeah. He had to agree. He just wished that he could have done this earlier. If only Dean had tried harder to convince Ezekiel to let Cas stay. If only he had protected him better. If only he had just come clean the first time he visited Cas for that case instead of being scared of all the ways that Castiel had had to adapt. He hadn’t reacted well to how Castiel had changed and the guilt had just made him drive off again. But now he was here and Cas was warm in his arms and Cas was reaching up to press a kiss to Dean’s chin. Dean’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt and he looked down to find Cas frowning at him. Not quite the face he had expected to see after a kiss. “You tensed.” Dean forced himself to relax.

“I just thought about how it sucked that I made you leave and then left you again… I sure am a shitty ex-boyfriend,” he tried to joke. Castiel huffed and sat up. He stretched and then he climbed out of bed. Dean watched him move, longing to touch. He sat up as well and lifted a hand. Castiel must have seen because all of a sudden he was back in his arms for a hug. Dean closed his eyes and then he pressed a kiss to Castiel’s cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“You are forgiven,” Castiel told him, then he went into the bathroom. Dean rubbed his palm over his face, but after a while a small smile found its way onto his face and he got up to join Cas.

* * *

“So, how was the case?” Sam asked when Dean sat down at the table with a pleased hum and a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Good, good. Took that son of a bitch out with no trouble at all,” Dean said and smirked to himself when he saw that Sam was dying to ask more but holding back for one reason or another. Since Kevin wasn’t here to offer unnecessary but on point commentary Dean didn’t immediately tell him about the progress he made with Cas.

“So,” Sam continued after five minutes, clearing his throat. “How’s Cas?” Dean smiled at him and the tension ebbed out of Sam.

“Cas just spent a short holiday with his boyfriend,” Dean said and that instantly made Sam widen his eyes. He was in the middle of looking crest-fallen and sorry for Dean when he noticed that Dean was wiggling his eyebrows at him.

“Oh my god!” he exclaimed and Dean had to laugh. Sam combed his hands through his hair in a gesture of disbelief, but then he laughed, reaching over the table to clap Dean on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Dean.”

“Thanks,” he said with a smile. “Me too.”

“Long distance relationship, huh?” he asked and Dean looked down into his cup.

“I hope it won’t be forever,” he said though they would have to see. One day he hoped to welcome Cas into the bunker, one day when Sam was finally okay and there were no more secrets. He was pretty sure that this day was within close reach when he saw Sam’s eyes flash blue and a nod passed between him and Ezekiel before Sam was back and launched into an excited speech about having an angel as his brother in law.

“Woah!” Dean interrupted him, cheeks burning hot. “We’re not talking about marriage yet, calm down, Sam!”

“I can’t wait,” Sam said happily and Dean rolled his eyes and let the teasing wash over him. It was nice. Finally something to look forwards to in all of this mess.

His phone beeped and he looked down to find a text from Cas.

**“Sofia said that you should have flowers delivered to me because good repentant boyfriends do that. I’m not sure about it, but I trust Sofia’s judgment. I will text you my address.”**

Dean snorted, but he pulled Sam’s laptop towards him, ignoring his brother’s protest, to find a flower shop in Rexford.

We was determined to be a good boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥


End file.
